Spincast fishing reels are well known in the art. A spincast reel will typically include: a central frame; a front cover positionable over at least the front face of the frame and having a tapered forward wall; a back cover positionable over at least the back face of the frame; a casting button operably projecting from the back cover; and a crank handle extending laterally from the side of the fishing reel. Most of the reel's operating structures and operating mechanisms are either mounted on, formed on, or mounted through the frame. The crank handle is operable for winding a fishing line around a line spool contained within the spincast reel. The line spool is typically mounted on a spool hub projecting forwardly from the frame.
A spincast reel will also include a foot structure for securing the reel on a fishing rod. The foot structure typically extends from either the bottom of the frame or the bottom of the back cover. Spincast reels having the foot extending from the bottom of the back cover are typically configured such that, when the reel is assembled, the frame is almost completely housed within the front and back covers.
The operating structures and mechanisms contained in a spincast reel typically include: an elongate main shaft slidably and rotatably extending through the spool hub; a spinnerhead secured to the forward end of the main shaft; a pinion gear (typically a helical gear) positioned around the main shaft; a crankshaft extending into the side of the reel and through a crankshaft boss provided on the rearward face of the frame; an interior drive gear (e.g., a face gear) secured on the crankshaft; an anti-reverse mechanism (e.g., a ratchet/pawl-type mechanism) associated with the crankshaft for preventing reverse rotation of the crank handle and crankshaft; and an adjustable drag system. The crank handle is secured on the exterior end of the crankshaft.
The pinion gear is typically retained in the reel adjacent the rear face of the frame. The pinion gear is keyed on the main shaft for imparting rotational movement to the main shaft while allowing the shaft to slide longitudinally through the frame. The drive gear operably engages the pinion gear such that rotational movement is imparted to the main shaft by turning the crank handle.
The spinnerhead attached to the forward end of the main shaft is operable for winding the fishing line around the reel spool. While winding, the spinnerhead is positioned over the spool. When the user turns the crank handle, the rotational movement of the handle is mechanically transferred, by means of the crankshaft, the drive gear, the pinion gear, and the main shaft, to the spinnerhead. The spinnerhead will typically include a grasping means for holding and positioning the fishing line such that, as the spinnerhead rotates, the spinnerhead raps the line around the spool. The grasping means will commonly consist of either (a) a set of line-grasping notches formed in the rearward edge of the spinnerhead or (b) at least one spring-loaded pickup pin projecting laterally through the spinnerhead side wall.
A spincast reel will also typically include means for biasing the main shaft rearwardly toward engagement with the casting button. Such means commonly consists of a spring positioned around the rearward portion of the main shaft. The spring is typically attached to, or retained by, the rearward end of the main shaft such that the spring also operates to hold the pinion gear against the frame.
When casting with a spincast reel, the user initially presses and holds the thumb button whereby the main shaft and the spinnerhead move forward and the spinnerhead clamps the fishing line against the tapered forward wall of the front cover. The line is thus prevented from moving outward (i.e., paying out) during the power portion of the casting motion. The forward movement of the main shaft and of the spinnerhead also typically activates a locking mechanism which temporarily (a) limits the rearward movement of the spinnerhead such that the spinnerhead is prevented from returning to its winding position and (b) holds the line-grasping mechanism in a disengaged (i.e., non-grasping) position.
At the end of the casting motion, the user releases the thumb button and thereby allows the shaft spring to move the main shaft and the spinnerhead rearward a sufficient distance such that the fishing line is no longer clamped against the forward wall of the front cover. With the line thus released and the spinnerhead prevented from grasping or otherwise engaging the fishing line, the line flows freely over the forward end of the line spool and through the line opening provided in the forward end of the front cover.
After casting, the user returns the spinnerhead and the line-grasping mechanism to their winding positions by simply turning the crank handle. A cam lobe or other release mechanism is typically provided on the spool hub, or elsewhere in the reel, for releasing the spinnerhead locking mechanism in response to the rotational movement of the spinnerhead.
Recently, fiberglass and other relatively low cost materials have been used for producing the frames employed in some spincast fishing reels. Unfortunately, the wear resistance provided by these low cost materials is relatively low. Thus, the sliding and rotating movement of the main shaft and the operation of the line grasping mechanism cause the spool hub to wear at an undesirably rapid rate.
In addition, the low cost materials currently used for producing spincast frames typically exhibit a relatively high level of frictional resistance. Thus, the contacting surfaces provided by these materials do not allow sufficiently smooth operation of the main shaft and of the line grasping mechanism.